For all the good Jews out there, most people spent today, Christmas, with their family and saw a new movie and ate tasty Chinese food. This year, unlike all the times in my past, I did not. No, it wasn't because I didn't think of a good movie to see. And, no, there are plenty of kosher Chinese places around me in Brooklyn. So why didn't I celebrate Christmas like a Jew is supposed to? Well, actually... I did....
This year instead of going out with friends (or family) and going to see a movie and eat Chinese, I celebrated Christmas the traditional way- by observing nittil. Nittil is when European Jews abstain from learning Torah on Christmas Eve until Christmas morning. In Europe during the Christmas season, Christians would come back from Church and start pogroms, where they killed Jews and beat them, stoned them, and destroyed their homes and properties. If we were caught studying Torah, all the more reason to kill us.
It may be silly to think that I, an American in 2012, would still observe this "nittil" idea, however, after studying Christianity the last few weeks, I have found myself very uncomfortable. This uncomfort has very little to do with Christians; in fact, it has more with the American Jewish population today.
Today, I saw some of my old Rabbis of the Reform movement wishing their friend's a "Merry Christmas" and I saw all of my friends from Jewish camp, Israel, and youth group talking about how they either celebrated Christmas with their Christian family or the "Jewish" way. I am not opposed to being nice to other people from different religions and cultures, but why are we celebrating the day Christians decided to not only convert all idolatrous pagans to Christianity (historically Jesus's birth took place in March/April, but they changed it to the Winter Solstice in December, in order to convert pagans), but also to slaughter Jews left and right for killing their gd?
I may get opposition from many people who say that Christmas is just an American holiday and Christianity isn't like that anymore. I dare these people to look up Canon Law (that is an irrevocable Christian law, which is seen as coming from Gd's mouth himself). It basically states that we, Jews are the Devil and will be punished and oppressed for all eternity to pay for our sins. That's why the Pope didn't stop the Holocaust when he had the chance. Even if you think that it's only the corrupted Pope and the Catholic Church that claims Jews are the Devil, simply look at the New Testament in John 8:39-47 (linked). Many people also misinterpret Protestantism for being more "pro-Jew" then the other Christian sects but Martin Luther himself wrote is his work The Jews and Their Lies, "Wherever you hear a Jew teaching, do not think otherwise than you are hearing a poisonous Basilikus... know, my dear Christians, that next to the Devil you have no more bitter, more poisonous, more vehement an enemy than a real Jew...".
Don't think I am trying to paint the typical Christian as a Jew-hating war-monger. Luckily, in America, most (if not all) the Christians I know are good, sweet-hearted, and loving individuals. And, B"H, they also don't know what their own books reads, for if they did, we would be in huge trouble. My point, however, is why are we, the Jewish people, celebrating Christmas? We should be ignoring it, if not protesting it. But to join in the "merrymaking"? It actually repulses me because on this day literally thousands of Jews have been attacked, killed, and abused because of the holiday. And here I am supposed to celebrate it?
Growing up as an "American", I loved Christmas because it's when EVERYONE was being nice. People gave to charity, more adults smiled, and everyone seemed more upbeat. Even though I also felt very left out when all my friends got a Christmas tree and presents. I told myself, no worries! I'm Jewish, so I get Chanukah instead! I got eight nights of presents and a menorah (also a "light"). But the funny thing is, this Chanukah I learned what the true meaning of it was: anti-Hellenism. Chanukah is a time to be a Maccabee and stand up and protest the surrounding culture. The only person I want to be, today, is me! Rivkah Zissel Aviva Morris, a Jew. And the fact I didn't know Christmas was today made me proud. But it also made me aware of what so many secular Jews truly don't understand: There are so many great and wonderful and beautiful things about being apart of this American nation. We get to finally be ourselves and practice our own religion! Being Jews, starting with Avraham HaIvri (Abraham the Other), we have always challenged the world and remained unique. And now, we get to not only remain unique individuals from Gd's nation, but now we don't have to be oppressed and killed for our beliefs!
And this is why I celebrated nittil this year. I find it tragic that we have come to be like everyone else, celebrating Christmas (even if it is movies and food) and having trees (call it a Chanukah Bush all you like) and fitting in with everyone else because we want to be like them instead of ourselves. I may have celebrated Christmas in a non-orthodox way this year, but I think that is because in the end, I really wasn't celebrating anything at all.
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